Kennebunk Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you: this is a tough one. Looking at the 16-day window for Kennebunk Beach, the surf forecast is, to put it bluntly, pretty bleak. The finder file shows zero recommendations for the entire period, with every single entry scoring a big fat zero for surf quality. That’s a long stretch of poor conditions, starting from the first record on Sunday, August 30th, all the way through to Monday, September 14th. There’s just no good wave action on offer.

The water temp is sitting at 67°F, which is a solid 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year—that’s notably warm, but it’s not going to help the waves.

The main issue is the swell. For the first week, we’re looking at tiny, weak energy levels, mostly from the southeast with short, choppy periods around 6 to 8 seconds. The combined energy values are mostly in the low two-digits (34, 11, 38…), which is weak. The wind is a constant problem too, often cross-onshore or onshore, keeping the surface messy. Even when it’s clean, the swell is just too small.

There’s a slight bump in size around Thursday, September 3rd, with 5ft to 6ft of short-period SE swell, pushing the combined energy up to 230 (moderate). But with a period of just 6 seconds and cross-onshore winds, it’s going to be a choppy, crumbly mess. Not worth paddling out for.

The tail end of the forecast, from September 7th into the second week, sees a shift to more easterly swell with a slightly longer period (9-11 seconds), and the wind sometimes goes clean or cross-offshore. On Monday, September 7th afternoon, the comment even says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” scoring a 1 out of 10. The energy is moderate (152), but the swell height is still only 2ft to 3ft. It’s the least bad, but it’s not a stand-out by any stretch.

For a sheltered spot like Kennebunk Beach, which is exposed to ENE swell but getting SE waves, it’s a poor match. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” but honestly, there’s nothing here to draw a crowd anyway.

Bottom line: leave the boards in the car for the next two weeks. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing when the wind picks up. Keep an eye on the forecasts, though—it tends not to stay this poor for long, and things can change. But for now, it’s a total blank run.

Rusty.

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